TUNIS - (Xinhua) - The African Development Bank granted Tunisia new financing of $80 million to strengthen the emergency support project for food security and support the country's cereal system's resilience against external variables and climate fluctuations.

The official Tunisian News Agency said on Thursday evening that the agreement for this new financing was signed by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Samir Said, and the Director of the North African Regional Office of the African Development Bank in Tunisia, Mohamed El Azizi, in the presence of the Tunisian Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fishing, Mahmoud Elias Hamza.

She explained that the emergency support for food security project "aims to improve food sufficiency and security by securing the supply of soft wheat, barley and fertilizers, supporting the resilience of the grain system against external shocks and climatic fluctuations, improving the production rate of these materials and basic fodder in milk production, as well as developing grain system, and support the institutional capacities of this sector.

It quoted the Tunisian Minister of Economy as saying on the sidelines of the signing of this agreement, "This funding falls within the framework of the Tunisian government's work to secure the supply of grains and seeds as well as the necessary fertilizers in light of the current global crisis, and within the framework of keenness to support national capabilities to improve the profitability of the large agricultural sector and develop good governance." related institutions.

For his part, the Tunisian Minister of Agriculture considered that this funding "will help ensure the regular supply of soft wheat and barley, in addition to supporting about 100,000 small farmers to prepare for the next agricultural season by providing the necessary fertilizers and increasing the cultivated areas in order to increase production."